The World Cup records Messi owns

The FIFA World Cup records belonging to Lionel Messi and the ones he is pursuing.

• Lionel Messi owns several

World Cup records

• They involve appearances, assists and goals

• Messi is also close to a

Miroslav Klose milestone

Messi is one of only six men to have played in five World Cups alongside Antonio Carbajal, Lothar Matthaus, Rafa Marquez, Andres Guardado and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi made his 26th World Cup appearance in the Qatar 2022 final, breaking Lothar Matthaus's record.

Messi has made a record 19 appearances as captain in the World Cup. He is followed by Rafa Marquez (17) and Diego Maradona (16).

Messi has played the most minutes in World Cup history: 2,314. He broke Paolo Maldini's record of 2,217 minutes in the Qatar 2022 final.

Messi is the only player to register an assist in five World Cups. His closest challengers are Pele, Grzegorz Lato, Diego Maradona and David Beckham, who set up goals in three editions apiece.

Pele and Messi share the record for the most assists in the knockout phase (6).

Messi is Argentina’s leading marksmen in the World Cup on 13 goals. He is followed by Gabriel Batistuta (10), Diego Maradona (8), Guillermo Stabile (8), Mario Kempes

(6) and Gonzalo Higuain (5).

Messi is the only player to score in the World Cup in his teens, 20s and 30s. Pele missed out on accomplishing the same by four months.

Messi scored his first and latest World Cup goals 16 years and 184 days apart. The next biggest span in World Cup history belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo at 16 years and 160 days.

The Player of the Match, first awarded in 2002, has been given to Messi an unequalled 11 times. His four at Brazil 2014 is a record for one edition he shares with Wesley Sneijder, who received the same at South Africa 2010.

Miroslav Klose has played in a record 17 World Cup victories. Messi is currently on 16.

Messi vows to keep playing for Argentina

Lionel Messi said he was not ready to retire from international football just yet

Lionel Messi promised he would play on for Argentina to experience "a few more games being world champion" after inspiring their triumph in Qatar.

The World Cup belongs to Messi and Argentina after the spectacular final that saw Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick for France but still end up on the losing side. A 4-2 victory on penalties after a 3-3 draw gave Argentina their third World Cup success, after lifting the trophy in 1978 and 1986, and means Messi's final appearance on the biggest stage of all ended in a fairy tale manner.

It was the trophy he had been striving to win before the end of his career, and the 35-year-old finished the tournament with seven goals and three assists, becoming the first player to score in every round and the group stage.

He took the Golden Ball award as the best player, but Mbappe pipped him to the Golden Boot with eight goals.

Messi told TyC Sports: "Obviously I wanted to close my career with this, I can't ask for anything any more. Thank God, he gave me

everything. Closing almost my career like this, it's incredible."

Messi knows his career is winding down, and he put in the work to make sure he was in prime shape for one last shot at the World Cup.

His emotional reaction after the final whistle, kissing the trophy at the first opportunity, reflected how dearly Messi wanted this moment.

A double in the final meant Messi became the highest-scoring South American player in major international tournaments with 26 goals - 13 in the World Cup as many in the Copa America. That took him one goal ahead of Brazil great Ronaldo, who previously held the record.

"After this, what will there be? I was able to get the Copa America, World Cup… It came to me almost at the end," Messi said

"I enjoy being in the national team, the group, I want to continue living a few more games being world champion.

"It's every little kid's dream, I was lucky to have achieved everything and what I was missing is here."

Messi celebration is most-liked Instagram post

The Argentina captain Lionel Messi has set another record, this time on social media

• Lionel Messi has set yet another record after winning the

World Cup

• The Argentina captain's post of lifting the trophy has earned 56 million likes

• The forward scored twice in the Final and also netted in the penalty shootout

Lionel Messi's Instagram message celebrating Argentina's World Cup win has become the most popular post in the social media platform's history, with 56 million likes.

Messi finally won international football's greatest prize after Argentine edged out France 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the World Cup Final at Lusail Stadium.

For the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, it is the final rubber stamp on his status as the greatest footballer of his generation, and arguably the greatest of all time. Now, Messi has another record to his name, with his post in the wake of Argentina's success surpassing the previous high-water mark held by the World Record Egg, which gained 55.9 million likes.

"Thank you very much to my family, to all who support me and also to all who believed in us," the 35-year-old wrote in his caption.

"We demonstrate once again that Argentines when we fight together and united we are capable of achieving what we set out to do.

"The merit belongs to this group, which is above individuals. It is the strength of all fighting for the same dream that was also the dream of all Argentines... We did it!!!"

Messi, who was named the World Cup Golden Ball recipient for the second time, scored twice in the final, and netted the first successful penalty of his side's shootout.

Messiah at the Pinnacle of greatness

From being nicknamed 'La Pulga' (The Flea) back home in Argentina for his diminutive stature, 'Messiah' to simply, the G.O.A.T, Messi has drawn every praise and compliment in the footballing metaverse throughout his golden career. Considering the galaxy of legends that came before him and made football the beautiful game it is, Lionel Messi has evoked comparisons with the best in the way his friends and foes admire him in the game.

His silken feet, magical ball skills, mesmeric dribbles and darting runs into rival boxes have seen him attract a host of prefixes against his name. From being nicknamed ‘La Pulga’ (The Flea) back home in Argentina for his diminutive stature, ‘Messiah’ to simply, the G.O.A.T

O

ver the years, Messi anchored Blaugrana to win an astounding 10 La Liga titles and made the club a formidable unit in Spanish football. His astute partnership with Pep Guardiola as manager saw Barcelona win four consecutive La Liga titles between 2008-12 and took Barcelona to another level.

Messi played a crucial role in Barcelona winning four UEFA Champions League titles, thereby expanding their dominance across Europe, not only Spanish football. By this time, Messi was synonymous with the Catalan outfit. Messi won seven Ballon D’or awards, which is a world record. This is a recognition for the Footballer of the Year across all players actively representing European Clubs. To win this prestigious award seven times in 17-18 years is brilliant and demonstrates that class is permanent.

But somehow, while Messi dominated Spanish & European football while representing Barcelona, he could not re-create the same magic while representing Argentina's white & light blue stripes.

While some critics alleged that his loyalty is only towards the big bucks that his clubs have to offer, the more ardent fans defended him by saying that he’s grown up in the Tiki Taka style of play at Barca. Hence, his game is not naturally suited for scenarios where players around him don’t feed on/ off him.

How could someone be termed GOAT without winning a Copa America and a World Cup title?

Yet, for all his glorious accomplishments, breaking new grounds in the game and rewriting footballing records like few have, there is one frontier that has remained unconquered.

The agonising quest to win a major title for his national team has seen him endure many heartbreaking moments.

Images of him slumping to his knees, holding his head in his hands or throwing a blank, rueful stare at the heavens after failing to take Argentina over the line in successive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016 only served to reinforce the fact that he is, after all, mortal.

As Messi came to the fag end of his illustrious career, people were fast losing hope that he could perhaps end his career as the best club footballer, but someone who could never anchor his national team to lift the coveted continental and world trophies. But legends are legends for a reason - when they see a challenge in front of them, they tend to raise their game. Messi broke this career-long jinx by anchoring Argentina to win the Copa America title in 2021 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022. What champion stuff to tick the only 2 pending boxes in back-to-back years!

Now there’s nothing left for Messi to conquer in world football; rightly so; he had announced proactively that this would be his last World Cup.

Almost like the universe aligned to bid farewell to this Messi-merising footballer. This World Cup was so much more about Messi than Argentina, and this could be seen in tears of happiness amongst billions of fans worldwide.

The magic & the aura of Messi was just like the magic & the atmosphere of Maradona back then. Not just the Final, but even Messi’s 3rd goal in the Semi’s against Croatia seemed to almost mimic Maradona’s 2nd goal in the Quarter against England. Seems like the baton has well & truly passed. For me, Maradona remains GOAT, but Messi emerges as the Messiah.

Messiah means the Anointed One or the Saviour; he became the Messiah for billions of Argentina fans worldwide as the saviour of their hopes & dreams for Argentina to lift the coveted World Cup again and continue with the legacy of Maradona.

A tribute to Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi, for many the greatest footballer in history, has finally got his hands on the FIFA World Cup™ trophy – and following one of the finest individual campaigns in the competition’s history.

The 35-year-old provided seven goals and three assists, and broke multiple records, as Argentina conquered the sport for the first time in 36 years.

Did you know?

Diego Maradona and Messi both made their Argentina debuts against Hungary, coming off the bench in the 62nd and 63rd minutes respectively. ‘La Pulga Atomica’ was sent off just two minutes into his bow.

When Messi first scored for Argentina… • Twitter and iPhones didn’t exist. Facebook was effectively only accessible to North American students.

• The Big Bang Theory, Ugly Betty,

Dexter and Keeping Up with the

Kardashians had yet to hit TV screens.

• Novak Djokovic had yet to win an

ATP title and was ranked 63rd in the world.

• We Belong Together by Mariah

Carey, Gold Digger by Kanye

West, Sorry by Madonna and Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield were flying high on singles’ charts across the globe.

• Pluto was the universe’s ninth planet. It was reclassified as a dwarf planet months later.

• Momiji Nishiya and Rayssa Leal, who seized gold and silver in women’s street skating at Tokyo 2020, were not even born.

• Brokeback Mountain, Crash, King

Kong and Memoirs of a Geisha had just won a joint-high three awards at the Oscars.

The blinding big-stage intro

Messi was sent on for his World Cup debut in the 76th minute against Serbia and Montenegro at Germany 2006. Within three minutes he’d set up Hernan Crespo to score and ten minutes later he slotted home to seal a 6-0 victory – Argentina’s jointbiggest in the competition.

Youngest scorers in World Cup history

Pele, Brazil – 17 and 239 days in 1958

Manuel Rosas, Mexico – 18 and 93 days in 1930

Michael Owen, England – 18 and 191 days in 1998

Nicolae Kovacs, Romania – 18 and 198 days in 1930 Dimitri Sychev, Russia – 18 and 232 days in 2002

Lionel Messi, Argentina – 18 and 358 days in 2006

Aleksandar Tirnanic, Yugoslavia – 18 and 365 days in 1930 Julian Green, USA – 19 and 25 days in 2014

Divock Origi, Belgium – 19 and 65 days in 2014

Martin Hoffman, East Germany – 19 and 88 days in 1974

Top five golazos

Mexico Copa America 2007

There are chips, there are incredible chips and then there’s Messi’s masterpiece. The elevation was truly mind-blowing. It helped Argentina reach the final.

Brazil International friendly, 2012

In the 84th minute of an engrossing East Rutherford clash, Messi collected the ball, pinned to the right touchline, with Marcelo pouncing. The Argentinian somehow conned his adversary, carried the ball north-west and, from just outside the box, fizzed an impeccable curler into the top corner to seal his hat-trick and a 4-3 win. It was nominated for that year’s FIFA Puskás Award.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil 2014

Messi picked up possession near the centre-circle, shimmied Muhamed Besic and set off. He then played a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain, exquisitely slalomed around Ermin Bicakcic and produced a supreme, low finish from just outside the penalty area that went in off the post and, ultimately, earned Argentina a 2-1 victory in their opener.

IR Iran Brazil 2014

The deadlock was intact when the ball fell to Messi in injury time. Minimal danger seemed apparent but he instantly shifted the ball to his left

and produced a sensational strike from distance.

Nigeria Russia 2018

The movement; the imaginative, exceptional, first-time control on his thigh, the palatial second touch to ward off Kenneth Omeruo; the dynamic finish… hypothetically, would any other player in football history have scored that goal? Messi did it to help snatch a 2-1 victory in a win-or-bust game for Argentina.

The long wait

Messi propelled Argentina to FIFA U-20 World Cup™ and Men’s Olympic Football Tournament glory, but had to wait 16 years for his first senior international title. After finishing runner-up thrice at the Copa America and once at the World Cup, the Rosario native helped La Albiceleste conquer South America in July.

Stats

Pele reigned as South America’s outright leading international marksman for 59 years – he outranked Ademir de Menezes, who hit 32 goals for Brazil – until Messi broke his record in 2021.

Most goals in one calendar year for Argentina

Lionel Messi – 18 goals in 14 games in 2022

Lionel Messi – 12 goals in 9 games in 2012

Gabriel Batistuta – 12 goals in 12 games in 1998

Antonio Angelillo – 10 goals in 9 games in 1957 Sergio Aguero – 10 goals in 10 games in 2015

Quotes

“They once said you could only stop me with a pistol. Today you need a machine gun to stop Messi.” - Hristo Stoichkov

“When I met Messi I reached out and touched him. I needed to make sure he was human like the rest of us.” - Gigi Buffon

“When I look back on my career, the most enjoyable thing was seeing the early years of Leo Messi. When he retires, football – not just Barcelona – should retire the No10 shirt.” - Ronaldinho

“I think he reached and surpassed the level of Maradona. He does incredible things, at a speed that is insane.” -Paolo Maldini

“Although he may not be human, it’s good that Messi still thinks he is.” - Javier Mascherano “For me, watching Messi play is a pleasure is like having an orgasm. It’s an incredible pleasure.” - Luis Figo

Top-scoring men in World Cup history

Miroslav Klose (16 goals in 24 games) Ronaldo (15 in 19)

Gerd Muller (14 in 13)

Just Fontaine (13 in 6)

Lionel Messi (13 in 26)

Pele (12 in 14)

Sandor Kocsis (11 in 5)

Jurgen Klinsmann (11 in 17) Helmut Rahn (10 in 10)

Gabriel Batistuta (10 in 12)

Gary Lineker (10 in 12) Teofilo Cubillas (10 in 13) Thomas Muller (10 in 19)

Grzegorz Lato (10 in 20)

Top-scoring men in international football history

Cristiano Ronaldo (118 in 196)

Ali Daei (109 in 148)

Lionel Messi (98 in 172)

Mokhtar Dahari (89)

Ferenc Puskas (84 in 89)

Sunil Chhetri (84 in 131)

Ali Mabkhout (80 in 109)

Godfrey Chitalu (79 in 111)

Hussein Saeed (78 in 137)

Pele (77 in 91)

Neymar (77 in 124)

The Qatari trio who helped bring the FIFA World Cup 2022™ mascot to life

There are many firsts associated with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. It is the first edition of the tournament to be held in the Middle East and Arab world, the first compact tournament in modern history and the first to have an official soundtrack.

It is also the first FIFA World Cup™ to have a digital mascot. La’eeb – an Arabic word meaning super-skilled player – was unveiled to the world during the final draw in April. La’eeb hails from the ‘mascot-verse’ – a world where all previous tournament mascots live – and is known for his youthful spirit; spreading joy and confidence wherever he goes. La’eeb, who is adventurous, fun and curious, has attended every previous FIFA World Cup tournament and contributed to some of the most famous moments in football history.

Here, we speak to Ahmed Al Baker, Fahad Al Kuwari and Mohammed Al Ibrahim, who worked on La’eeb’s launch video, to find out more about the challenge of creating content that appeals to football fans across the globe.

The vision

Qataris Al Baker, Al Kuwari and Al Ibrahim were excited to develop the launch video for the mascot when they received the initial concept about his character.

“It was very exciting to be involved in this project and our objective was to deliver something different to every previous mascot launch,” said Al Baker, who has been working as a director and producer for 12 years.

“One of our main aims was to present him in a humourous and interactive way while ensuring he appeals to as many people as possible – not just football fans.”

Al Kuwari added: “I am not a huge football lover and during the animation process, I looked

at La’eeb from an outsider’s point of view. Part of the challenge was creating content that nonfootball fans would enjoy – and I think La’eeb ended up being liked by everyone due to his uplifting personality.”

Writer and director Al Ibrahim worked as a senior content developer on the animation. He said: “I helped to build on his backstory – not only his origins but information about his home, the mascot-verse. We had to think about his personality traits and motivations – it was a really interesting project.”

The creative team also wanted La’eeb to resonate with people long after the tournament – which will conclude with the final at Lusail Stadium on 18 December.

“It’s very important to us that La’eeb stays in the minds of football fans after the World Cup,” said Al Kuwari, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar. “This is one of the reasons we built the mascot-verse, which allows La’eeb to visit mascots from previous tournaments.”

A mascot with a voice

La’eeb’s uniqueness extends to his voice.

“When we presented our work, FIFA really liked the scripts we had developed for La’eeb,” said Al Kuwari, who holds a Master’s in film and screen studies from Goldsmiths, University of London.

The next challenge was deciding La’eeb’s accent and ensuring he would resonate with people in Qatar, the region and beyond.

“At first, we wanted La’eeb to speak Arabic with a Qatari accent – however we also wanted him to reach international audiences. In the end, we opted for English – but spoken by a local person – to show La’eeb is Qatari and can connect with people anywhere,” said Al Baker.

Al Kuwari added: “As content creators, it is our responsibility to create narratives true to our culture and heritage, and present them to international audiences.”

New technology

La’eeb’s virtual nature meant the creative options were endless and opened the door to utilise the latest digital technology.

“From holograms, digital screens and new media, there was plenty of room for creativity and we were able to experiment with different technologies,” said Al Baker. Al Kuwari added: “Our priority was for La’eeb to entertain fans. We wanted to create uplifting and interactive content, so we approached this in the same way we look at cinematic scripts. Getting to know La’eeb is a journey everyone will go through during the tournament. The audience learned about his skills and personality during the draw – and there will be plenty more to find out during the World Cup.”

The power of storytelling

For Al Ibrahim, seeing his creation come to life on a scale of such magnitude represents a dreamturned-reality.

He said: “Seeing La’eeb everywhere is testament to the power of storytelling. He is a character that will be remembered by future generations and exposed to billions of people during the World Cup.

“This is something every content creator dreams of – and knowing I’ve contributed is something I’ll always be proud of.”

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ Official Poster

The Official Poster is on display at Hamad International Airport, where it will remain at Gate D18 beyond the FIFA World Cup 2022™. Everyone will have the chance to see the poster as they travel from and transit through Qatar.

This series of eight posters were created through close collaboration with prominent Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah. The artworks combine to convey the values and messages of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ in a subtle, unique and relevant way – while remaining closely connected with local culture and heritage.

The main poster focuses on the football itself, featuring the agal – a traditional head piece worn in Qatar – alongside typography expressing the voices of a cheering crowd. Just like the beautiful game, the artist’s approach is raw and emotive, packed with palpable movement and energy. All 8 posters of the 2022 World Cup

Artist of the World Cup 2022 poster is Bouthayna Al Muftah

This approach aims to create a dialogue with fans – igniting all their senses.

About the artist:

Bouthayna Al Muftah’s practice ranges from painting, photography, printmaking and typography to largescale installations and performance pieces. The inspiration behind Bouthayna’s creative expression is the concept of collective memory, born through thousands of years of Qatari heritage – borrowing elements from folklore and the oral history of Qatar and readapting them to reflect her relationship with her land’s past.

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™️ Official Soundtrack

Qatar 2022™ was all about bringing the world together in harmony. For the first time ever, instead of one official song, a full FIFA World Cup™ Official Soundtrack was released.

A multi-song collection, featuring international artists across a variety of musical genres delivering smash hits, set the tone for a truly global celebration at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

By bringing all these voices together, this collection symbolised how music and football can unite the world. Check out the catchy and uplifting songs that made up the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Official Soundtrack here:

• Hayya Hayya (Better Together) - Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and

Aisha

• Arhabo – Ozuna featuring GIMS

• Light the Sky – Rahma, Balqees,

Nora and Manal

• Dreamers – Fahad Al Kubaisi and

Jung Kook (BTS)

Though not part of the Official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Soundtrack, an additional song was released and presented at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Opening Ceremony. ‘The Calling’ was part of the celebrations that kicked off Qatar 2022™ and the first match between Qatar and Ecuador.

Sung by Qatari female singer Dana, ‘The Calling’ is a fusion of Oriental sounds mixed with modern synthetic music. It’s Inspired by traditional songs sung in hope that loves ones at sea will return soon. Here, it signified the call sent by Qatar to the world inviting them to Al Bayt Stadium and the FIFA World Cup 2022™.

A football tournament without hooligans, David Beckham praised Qatar World Cup

Former England captain hails fan experience and quality on the pitch

David Beckham has hailed the quality of the fan experience at Qatar 2022 and praised the tournament for uniting fans from across the globe.

The former England captain, who appeared in three FIFA World Cups Qatar has hosted the most compact edition of the FIFA World Cup™ in modern history – with all eight stadiums within an hour’s journey time of central Doha. It has meant fans enjoying the opportunity to attend more than one match a day.

Beckham said the timing of the tournament – in the middle of the season for many leagues around the world – had boosted the level

for the Three Lions, discussed the highlights of the tournament – in particular the compact nature, fan experience and quality of play.

“Seeing the fans come together and the level of football – it’s been amazing. It’s been a privilege to see the excitement and the fun the fans are having,” said Beckham, who twice reached the World Cup quarter-finals with England.

of play on the field. “The level of football has been incredible. I was always a supporter of playing the World Cup in the middle of the season because I knew the players would be fresh and the fitness and energy levels would be higher.”

Beckham said Argentina’s victory over the Netherlands was his favourite game of Qatar 2022 and picked out two goals as his favourites of the tournament: Richarlison’s scissor-kick for Brazil against Serbia and Luis Chavez’s free-kick for Mexico against Saudi Arabia. He went on to discuss his stars of the tournament. “I have loved Morocco’s midfield – their elegance and the way they play the game. Jude Bellingham had a great tournament for England, and Bukayo Saka,” said Beckham.

He added: “Kylian Mbappé has had a great tournament – whenever he gets the ball at his feet, you can feel the energy in the stadium lift. And Lionel Messi – what can you say? He’s a special individual on and off the field. It feels different watching him play in this World Cup. He’s got great team-mates around him but he has been the leader – and you can feel it in every single game. It’s special to see.”

As for England’s performance, Beckham said head coach Gareth Southgate and his players should be proud of their display against France, which ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat at Al Bayt Stadium.

“We have real quality and the England players will take this experience to the next tournament. The fans are right behind us, the future’s looking bright. We have a lot of young players who will learn from this and take it on to the Euros and the next World Cup.”